Unique magnetic hijab rolled out to Muslim police
It is hoped that ‘blue light hijab’ developed by Leicestershire Police and De Montfort University could encourage more women to join up
A cutting-edge “blue light hijab” that promises to protect frontline Muslim police officers from strangulation using a proprietary magnetic design is being rolled out in Leicestershire after three years in development.
The hijab is now being given to every eligible officer on the force, and Leicestershire Police is in talks with uniform suppliers across the country about a wider rollout. It consists of two pieces of fabric held together by a magnetised quick-release clasp that is designed to easily detach if pulled during a confrontation without exposing the wearer’s hair.
Its design and development brought together Leicestershire Police and Leicester’s De Montfort University (DMU), and saw a special plant set up on campus to produce the patented four circular magnets that hold together the two parts of the hijab.
“In a career like policing, we are going to find ourselves in situations that can be quite dangerous,” said Fiona Shaik Umar, the female lead for the Metropolitan Police’s branch of the National Association of Muslim Police. “We are susceptible to things like strangulation, or people using the hijab as a weapon against us.” A regular hijab can also be pulled over the eyes as a distraction, she said. “This product eliminates that. Hopefully this will pave the way for lots of women to now consider a career in policing.”
As well as the magnetic two-piece design, the blue light hijab has slots for radio earpieces.
“We did learn some quite sad stories of where people had had their hijab used as a means of strangulation or were pulled off,” said Umar. “I’ve experienced that myself where people know that pulling your hijab is an easy way to distract you.”
The project’s leader, Leicestershire Police detective sergeant Yassin Desai, first had the idea for the blue light hijab 20 years ago.
“At that time, we didn’t have a single Muslim woman with a hijab on the force,” he told Hyphen. “I thought: maybe there’s a reason for that. Maybe if we had [a uniform hijab] then maybe we would be able to encourage someone to join.”
No data is available for the number of Muslim officers within Leicestershire Police, but Asian British and Black British people are underrepresented — making up 15.3% and 2.4% of the local population respectively, according to ONS data, but only 4.9% and 0.6% of officers.
Of seeing the hijab rolled out to officers, Desai added: “It’s really humbling and amazing to see it finally come into the public domain. It’s been a labour of love for me.”
After approaching designers at DMU with the concept, it took three years to bring it to production. Feedback from Muslim female officers around the UK was crucial in the design, and the hijab was used in combat testing to ensure its durability and safety.
“The magnetised clasps will stay in place when you’re walking, talking, eating, wrestling someone to the ground,” said Desai. “If you’re a police officer, it will stay in place when it needs to, but it will also come away if it’s pulled from any direction.”
He added that there had been interest in the hijab from Muslim women beyond policing — including those working in prisons and veterinary medicine and even women looking for safer sportswear.
